1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer for performing qualitative and quantitative analyses of living samples, such as blood and urine, and more particularly to an automatic analyzer having a larger number of reagents placed per unit area.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an automatic analyzer for performing qualitative and quantitative analyses of living samples, such as blood and urine, the analysis is generally performed through the steps of adding, to each of the living samples, a reagent that reacts with a particular component in the sample to change a sample color, and measuring a change of the sample color (i.e., a change of absorbance) by using a photometer or the like.
In such an automatic analyzer, reagents required for the measurement are placed in the analyzer before the sample analysis is started. Recently, with improvements of reagents, the number of analysis items measurable by the automatic analyzer has increased, and the number of kinds of reagents has increased correspondingly.
For that reason, there is a demand for increasing the number of reagents capable of being placed in the automatic analyzer. On the other hand, space saving of the automatic analyzer is also demanded. In the past, a reagent bottle having a volume in match with the quantity of the reagent, which is estimated to be consumed in a day, so that once the reagent is replaced with a new one in the morning of everyday, it is possible to avoid the reagent from being used up in the day and to eliminate the necessity of replacing the reagent bottle. However, when the volume of each reagent bottle is reduced to increase the number of reagents capable of being placed in the automatic analyzer, this increases a possibility that the reagent runs out in some reagent bottle during the analysis. Accordingly, there is a demand for the function capable of smoothly replacing the reagent bottle even during the analysis.
Patent Reference 1; JP,A 10-142230 discloses such a technique that sample dispensing or subsequent reagent sampling can be temporarily stopped by an operator depressing a “reagent registration interrupt” key on an analyzer control screen when the amount of the remaining reagent has become small during the analysis. Because the reagent can be replenished or replaced during the analysis, the reagent is just required to be placed in a necessary minimum amount. It is therefore possible to provide an analyzer in which the reagent can be replenished or replaced even when the reagent has run out, and to realize space saving of the analyzer.